Name: Douglas Brown
Job title: Marketing director, Wellcome, based in Hong Kong
What is your greatest achievement?
Personal: I made a conscious decision in university to make a career in
Asia and feel that I've acted well on that plan. I took a Mandarin
course and kept with it from 1986-1991 while working in Canada. When the
opportunity came in 1991 to move to Hong Kong, I jumped and became a 26
year-old expat.
Professional: It was a challenge to take over as marketing director for
a company which reported gross advertising expenditures of HKdollars 200
million last year. We are doing wonderful things with the Wellcome and
Oliver's brands in Hong Kong.
Your dream brand to work on?
I grew up surrounded by working class, Scottish-heritage relatives who
were very conscious of their dollars, and I'm sure this influenced me
because I enjoy businesses that deliver tangibles, like food. Oliver's
has a personality, it's small and I could spend all day designing ads
that reinforce the personality.
What was your big break?
I decided to leave ACNielsen in 1995 to work for Central Dept Store in
Bangkok, which evolved into Tops Supermarkets.
I eventually became assistant vice-president of buying and
merchandising.
There I was running USdollars 200 million in sales with 50 people in the
department, in the middle of a recession and currency and political
crisis.
Who is your mentor?
My dad Bud Brown is an innovative, personable and successful
individual.
My family was full of working-class Scots who emigrated to Canada around
WW1. My dad could have easily wound up in the pool hall after the first
shift, but instead wound up running global businesses for some very
major US companies.
What's the secret to your success?
This is so simple and every self-help and management book preaches the
same thing. Set some objectives, dream about hitting them and make it
happen. It's fine to have incredibly aggressive targets, but if you
don't have the drive then you're a dreamer .
What are you currently reading?
"Why We Buy, The Science of Shopping" by Paco Underhill.
Who do you admire in business?
There are two guys that I look up to: Bob Mebruer and Steve Lutz, who
run ActMedia Asia. These bachelor guys are having the time of their
lives, starting new businesses and managing the ActMedia business. They
are close friends and business associates.
